You're Gone
by Loisarah
Summary: Character death and some aftermath


Title: You're Gone  
  
Author: Loisarah  
  
Rating: PG-13  
  
Disclaimer: Characters property of Paramount and Pet Fly, although Pet Fly doesn't exist any more, and I am making no money, this is for fun not profit. Lyrics included from the song "You're Gone" by Diamond Rio. I don't own that, either.  
  
Timeline: After season 4 (season 3 syndicated)  
  
Spoilers: Everything, to be safe. Split Decision definitely.  
  
Summary: An accident, a death, and remembering.  
  
Warnings: Character Death, angst  
  
Songfic  
  
For Steven. Just because. (Hey, remember me? )  
  
Did I miss anything? I don't remember what things people in Viper want to know. although come to think of it, I don't remember fic headers being a big deal here, either. Also, I found this cleaning up some disks and decided to write. I haven't seen the show in forever, so forgive me. But I felt compelled to finish and post this.  
  
***** I said hello, I think I'm broken And though I was only joking It took me by surprise when you agreed.  
  
*****  
  
"Frankie, you there? I stopped the guy, but Westlake hasn't made it," Joe said as he checked in.  
  
Frankie looked up from his current project and saw Joe on the screen. "I just talked to her, and she wasn't far. did you try to call her?" he asked.  
  
"Yeah, but there's no answer," Joe responded, frustrated.  
  
"I'll keep trying, Joe. I. hang on a second, there's another call coming in. I'll get back with you."  
  
"Later, Frankie," Joe said as he ended the call and slid out of the car.  
  
"Yeah, Waters," Frankie answered the vid-phone, tensing when it was Captain DeMeo on the other side.  
  
"Waters. where's your partner?" he asked, face drawn.  
  
"Joe's bringing in a suspect, and I'm not sure where Westlake is, uh, sir."  
  
The captain paused before answering. "I'm afraid that Detective Westlake was involved in a traffic accident. a semi ran a red light and didn't see her."  
  
"But she's all right, isn't she?" Frankie interrupted.  
  
"I'm afraid not. She's. it looks like she died instantly."  
  
***** I was trying to be clever For the life of me I never would have guessed how far the simple truth would lead. *****  
  
Joe pulled up at the accident scene, getting out of the Viper and flashing his badge to the officers. Cameron's Jeep, or rather what was left of it was sitting on the side of the road, close to a corner. The windshield was cracked, looking more like a spiderweb than anything else. The driver's side was pushed in, and with a shudder Joe's thoughts turned to what those last moments must have been like. He hoped she'd never even seen it coming. A semi with some front-end damage was also parked at the scene. he had flashbacks to his own accident, what he remembered of hitting the bus years ago, and he shuddered.  
  
***** You knew all my lines  
  
You knew all my tricks  
  
You knew how to heal that pain no medicine can fix. *****  
  
Julian sat in the complex next to his friend. As soon as Frankie had called him with the news he flew into Metro as soon as he could. he knew what Joe had been through. and now this. Mara and the girls were on a later flight. They'd never gotten to meet Cameron, but Mara knew enough about her to want to come to the funeral. She was worried about Joe as well.  
  
"Why me, Julian?" Joe asked him.  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"Why have I gotten all these second chances? I was. I made my living preying upon other people, and I got a second chance. And a third. she was a cop, always wanted to be one. saved my sorry ass when I didn't want her to. and look where. look where that got her."  
  
"I know things look bad right now, Joe, but."  
  
"Easy for you to say. I really don't want to hear the pep talk right now, Julian."  
  
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Julian tried to not let Joe's attitude get to him considering the situation, but he couldn't help it.  
  
"You didn't lose Mara. You don't understand, so just save the pep talk, okay?"  
  
*****  
  
And I bless the day I met you  
  
And I thank god that he let you  
  
Lay beside me for a moment that lives on. *****  
  
Frankie sat at home on his couch, with the tv on, but he wasn't watching it. He had to leave the complex. Knowing that Westlake was never going to be there again was more than he could stand. When he thought Cole was dead, he was able to go back, but this time, it was different. He hoped that this time, just as with Cole, he'd find out that it was a cover, that she was working somewhere, gathering evidence to bring someone down. but he knew it wasn't. He wished he hadn't gotten into the traffic camera database and pulled up the footage of the accident. He'd always have that last image of her in his mind... of her jeep being smashed into by the semi.  
  
The evening news intruded into his thoughts. They were showing a picture of Westlake in her uniform, and talking about the accident. It was an old picture. probably the last official Metropol picture she'd had taken. She had short hair, brushed out of her face, and was wearing her uniform. and smiling. That's what she'd looked like when he first met her, when she'd been assigned to Special Projects and Cole had brought her down to the complex for the first time.  
  
Frankie leaned over to grab the phone off the end table beside the couch and started to dial. Usually it was hard to catch Cole, but he really wished he was home tonight.  
  
"H'llo." the voice on the other end mumbled, barely awake.  
  
"Cole, it's me, Frankie. Are you awake?"  
  
"I am now," he slurred, half awake. "What do you want, Frankie?"  
  
"Cole, I really need you to wake up before I talk to you. Are you really awake?"  
  
On the other end of the line Cole sat up in bed, becoming more alert. He didn't know what Frankie had to say, but he knew whatever he had to say, it was bad.  
  
"Yeah, Frankie, I'm awake. What's going on?"  
  
"Cole. she's dead. Westlake. she died tonight, Cole." Frankie heard only silence on the other end of the line. "Cole? Did you hear me?"  
  
"I heard you, Frankie. Are you okay? What happened?"  
  
"A car accident."  
  
"An accident?"  
  
"Yeah. a drunk hit her as she was going to meet Joe."  
  
"My god. Frankie."  
  
"Yeah, I know."  
  
***** And the good news is I'm better for the time we spent together And the bad news is you're gone. *****  
  
A sea of navy blue surrounded the grave, the coffin covered with flowers. It looked fussy, which was strange, considering how simple and elegant she'd liked everything.  
  
Frankie looked around at all the cops, grateful for all the support for the fallen detective. He also hoped no one tried anything in Metro today, it seemed every cop was here, paying respects.  
  
He looked beside him, at Joe. He stood staring at the coffin with a blank look on his face. Frankie was worried about him. In his life, at least his life as Joe Astor, he'd really loved two women, and he'd lost both of them. At least he hadn't seen Westlake die.  
  
No, she'd been alone. Part of him was grateful that if it had to happen it had been quick, but she'd been alone. That bothered Frankie. He hated to be alone.  
  
Cole stood about five feet away from Joe and Frankie, looking up at the sky, hands clasped in front of him. Frankie hadn't talked to him much since telling him about Westlake's accident, and wondered how he was holding up. Frankie had always suspected that Cole cared far more for Westlake than he ever let on.  
  
Across from Frankie, in a row of chairs set up for family, sat Westlake's mother and brothers. He'd met Sheila once, and was surprised that such a grounded person as Westlake had someone as flighty as Sheila for a mother. He'd never met any of Westlake's brothers, but knew one was with the state police, and the other with the Cascade police department. All three sat looking somberly at the casket. Frankie wanted to walk over, but didn't. he'd never met her family, and this didn't feel like the time for him to be sociable.  
  
*****  
  
You found hope in hopeless  
  
You made crazy sane You became the missing link that helped me break my chains. *****  
  
Joe stood staring at the casket, just barely holding all his feelings in. For the most part, he was angry. This shouldn't have happened to her. He was the one who had spent most of his life in a headlong rush toward death, and he'd been saved each time.  
  
Each time the anger subsided a bit he thought of her, of seeing her, holding her, of the few times they'd made love before she'd died. He wouldn't have given up a moment of it, even if he'd known how it would end. But that didn't make losing her like this any easier.  
  
***** Looking back it's still surprising I was sinking, you were rising With a look you caught me in mid air Now I know god has his reasons, but sometimes it's hard to see them. I awake and find that you're not there. *****  
  
Frankie stood beside Joe, as they lowered the coffin into the ground. The sky darkened and a light rain had begun to fall, but they still stood beside the grave. Frankie wanted to leave, but it was obvious Joe wasn't going anywhere, so Frankie stayed.  
  
"How can I go on without her? She's why I didn't give up, why I didn't stay Payton and let myself die," Joe finally said.  
  
"You'll find a way, Joe. You have to."  
  
"She'd want me to, right?" Joe asked, bitterly. "Is that what you were going to say, Frankie? The usual crap people say at moments like this?"  
  
"Joe, it may sound like sentimental 'crap,' but you know she would have wanted you to."  
  
"Yeah. I suppose," he replied, looking up into the bleak sky. "The time to say, she's always with us."  
  
"I think she is," Frankie replied.  
  
"She helped make me who I am, so yeah, I guess she is," Joe responded.  
  
***** And I bless the day I met you And I thank god that he let you lay beside me for a moment that lives on. And the good news is I'm better for the time we spent together, and the bad news is you're gone The bad news is, you're gone. ***** 


End file.
